Top Flatbed Scanners by Consumer Reviewers

Although most multifunction printers can already scan, there are times when a standalone flat bed scanner is still required, especially for scanning slides, book pages and documents as well as preserving important photos at a high optical resolution for the best quality. This type of scanner is ideal for both personal and office use. There are also flat bed scanners that can handle a high volume of documents with an included sheet feeder. Whether you need a flat bed scanner for a PC or a Mac, you have come to the right place. Here at IntelliReview, we have a proprietary system for selecting only the best products. This enables us to give you a look at the leading flat bed scanners for sale online. By removing all the noise, (products with lots of negative reviews) we end up with a list of the best flat bed scanners available. When you know you are only dealing with the best, you can concentrate on features like resolution and features, for example. Whether you need 16 bit grayscale or 48 bit color capabilities, we have the scanners you want to have on your short list.

Ranking Updated: August 2016

TIPS

For users who want to create a paperless work environment, flatbed scanners can easily convert and digitize your documents.

Professionals who need to scan high-quality photos should look for a flatbed scanner with a high optical resolution.

If a lot of documents need to be scanned, it's best to find models with automatic document feeders, which can automate the scanning process.

If space is an issue, you may want to consider a handheld scanner or an all-in one printer, instead of buying separate units, as they often have built-in scanners.

Pros: Portable and has a small footprint, USB powered and energy saving, Very high scanning ratesCons: Lacks depth of field, Software has some unneeded programs, Only scans up to 8.5" by 11.7"

Review: The two best things about the Canon Canoscan LiDE210 Flatbed Scanner are its size and the fact that it draws power from a standard USB port which it also uses for data thus, eliminating the need for a power source nearby to plug into and also reducing the wiring around your workstation. Measuring 9.9" in width, 14.4" deep and 1.6" in height, this scanner is completely portable and can fit into a larger laptop bag with no problem, making it a great imaging solution for professionals on field assignments. With regards to power consumption, since it uses three-color LEDs as its main scanning element instead of fluorescent tubes, it draws much less power, peaking at a max consumption of 2.5 watts. There is virtually no warm-up time, also because of the LED scanning element. That is not all there is to the LiDE210, though. It may be small but it can scan documents and photos as good as a traditional scanner. Maximum color resolutions of 4800 X 4800 and a 48-bit color depth will do for everyday purposes but this product can interpolate those figures to an astounding 19,200 X 19,200 DPI using its software. It also scans in 16-bit grayscale and monochrome. It is very user-friendly, having buttons that automate the scanning process if you are scanning into the more common image file types as well as PDF. For further automation, an Auto Scan mode does all the work from selecting the type of source document to cropping to auto-saving into the appropriate format. The advanced Z-Lid of this scanner accommodates thicker media like books. The reduced height also works to its advantage in this respect. This unit can scan in one of three possible positions: portrait, landscape and even upright. On the contrary, there are a few disadvantages. For one thing, while drawing power from USB is definitely convenient, it's only good for scanning a few documents and not for heavy batch work when running off batteries. It also has excellent scanning of documents, but lacks in depth of field, which makes it not suitable for 3D scanning. The software supporting the scanner is a little cluttered and tricky to navigate, but put it on the most basic settings and it can be understood. It also has some extra programs but it provides the option to only install the essentials. Lastly, the Canoscan LiDE210 Flatbed Scanner is limited to scanning a maximum document size of only 8.5" X 11.7".

Pros: High quality, Good for photos or document scanning, Easy to use, Simple to install, Works wellCons: Expensive, Some users experienced problems with support, Takes time to warm up,

Review: If you need high quality scans of photos, negatives or other documents, the Epson Perfection V700is a great choice. Priced higher than most scanners, it has a lot of features and is built to last. It also remains relatively simple to use and is embedded with Epson's Exclusive Dual Lens System. Offering a high 6400 dpi resolution, it delivers the highest possible quality for your photos and other documents. The built in 8" x 10" transparency unit supports a wide variety of sizes including 35 mm film strips, 35 mm mounted slides, Medium format strips, 4" x 5" and 8" x 10" film. For easy image enhancement, this flatbed color image scanner is integrated with Digital ICE technology. In addition to Epson Copy Utility and Epson Scan with Epson Easy Photo Fix technology, you also get other software such as Adobe Photoshop Elements, LaserSoft Imaging SilverFast SE6 and ABBYY FineReader Sprint Plus OCR. The bundled software is not the greatest out there but it enables you to get the job done. It is also possible to use other software to increase productivity. Installation and connectivity-wise, it is fairly easy as it has a FireWire and USB 2.0 interface and it supports major operating systems including Mac and Windows. It even comes supplied with a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 cable, an AC adapter and a power cable. In conclusion, while there are cheaper alternatives than the Epson Perfection V700, it is tough to beat. It can handle almost anything from organizing photos to scanning slides and negatives from years gone by.